Energy drinks are a fashion these days and are mostly consumed by young people. The Chamber of Deputies adopted on Tuesday, February 20, a bill that prohibits retailers from selling energy drinks to minors. There were 238 votes “for”, one “against”.
Energy drinks
This decision was a necessary one, say medical professionals, because energy drinks can be extremely harmful to the body.
Combinations that can be lethal
Doctors say this decision is extremely important because energy drinks can be lethal. Thus, consumed in combination with other substances, they can lead to a deadly cocktail and affect even healthy people.
,,We warn the public that these drinks, even if they are legal, can also be lethal. We must take into account the fact that they contain caffeine, a lot of sugar, taurine, additives and sweeteners. Combined, they can have a negative effect on the body. Thus, it is no surprise that variations in blood pressure or heart rate may occur in the undiagnosed. At the same time, nicotine together with caffeine and other substances, such as alcohol, also pose a potential risk to a healthy person“, stated Dr. Tudor Ciuhodaru.
People need to know the danger they are exposing themselves to
At the national level, approximately 24 million liters of energy drinks are sold annually. This, doctors say, is extremely worrying, especially because many people do not realize the huge risk they are taking. Dr. Tudor Ciuhodaru claims that, just like in the case of cigarettes, the packaging of energy drinks should also present the risks to which consumers are exposed.
“The health risks should be very clearly highlighted on the packaging. People must be warned that there may be very serious health consequences. According to statistics, approximately 24 million liters of energy drinks are sold annually in Romania“, adds the doctor from Iesa.
Proof that energy drinks can be lethal
The case of a young man from Iasi made the rounds of the country last summer. During the day of July 13, 2023, a 17-year-old student, in a camp organized by a university in Iasi, died.
He suffered a heart attack and could not be saved despite the efforts of the medical staff and a student of the Faculty of Geography who started resuscitation maneuvers before the arrival of the medical crew.
According to the doctors, the young man had consumed, in one night, no less than four energy drinks and smoked two packs of cigarettes.
